Jane Doe v. John Roe 1

I. BACKGROUND

Plaintiff alleges that she was hired as a tenure track professor at the University of Central Florida (“UCF”) in 2016. First Amended Complaint (“FAC”) ¶ 19 [Dkt. No. 25]. At the time, Plaintiff was also working as a non- tenure track professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (“UCLA”). Id. ¶ 18. Plaintiff alleges that UCF was fully aware of her dual affiliation. Id. ¶¶ 20– 22. On April 1, 2022, Plaintiff resigned from her position at UCLA at the conclusion of her grant-funded work, but was told she could maintain an “honorary appointment.” Id. ¶ 28. Also in 2022, Plaintiff submitted her tenure dossier to UCF for review, with positive letters from external reviewers. Id. ¶ 27. On October 20, 2022, however, UCF issued Plaintiff a notice of intent to terminate. Id. ¶ 29. Plaintiff submitted a written response detailing her belief that UCF’s decision was biased, but she was terminated on November 1, 2022. Id. ¶¶ 30–31.

Several months later, Florida Politics LLC (“Florida Politics”) published an allegedly defamatory article suggesting that Plaintiff’s dual employment was hidden from her employers and otherwise suspicious. Id. ¶ 32. Also in…